There is a beautiful book "Buddhist Chanting for Health, Peace and Happiness", I could not find it online, maybe it is possible to reproduce its contend with links (please be patient and thanks for hints to mistakes)A good resource may be A Chanting Guide

We decided to print this book, realizing the danger and calamities people are facing during the 21th Century. According to Buddhist scriptures, one is able to protect oneself, maintain good fortune, archive health and prosperity all through the repetition of scared sounds. As friends who met in Bangkok at a Buddhist lecture series on meditation, we share many values as well as the common thread of meditation. In talking about Buddhism and our lives, we become inspired to share one practical aspect of Buddhism, chanting, to open up new possibilities to practitioners and ordinary people. As a Thai and American, as mother, professor, artist and writers, we offer this work to the positive force for change that is sweeping our world today.

Chanting in all religions is a part of scared ritual, interwoven with human culture. Vibrations from chanting can potentially heal. Sound vibrations affect humans on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. Practicing meditation at the same time creates peace and happiness within.

Luckily Venerable Gandasaraphivamsa provided Chutatip a copy of Paritta Pali and Protective Suttas, by Venerable U. Silananda, the disiple of well known Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw of Myanmar. In Buddhism, Pali and Sanskrit have been used since the Buddha's time until now. Pali is used in the main text of Buddhism, and also in chanting. There are great merits from chanting Paritta, as Paritta means protection and brings many good results. Understanding the roots of each chant as well, one is able to connect to the more deeply. Thus we put the history of the chant in front of each stanza, with the meaning of the chant behind the pali text.

People in this century faced with all kinds of temptation and catastrophe, look to new means to understand and change reality. Chanting as set out in the Paritta Pali, is a kind of softness that can gradually wear the rock of resistance, fear and disaster. With chanting peace becomes attainable once more, from within and without.

The Use of the PaittaThese are the great benefits for chanting each Paritta:

Managla Sutta for blessing and prosperityRatana Sutta for getting free from danger caused by disease, evil Spirits and famineMetta Sutta for suffusing all kinds of beings with loving-kindnessKhanda Sutta for protecting against snakes and other creaturesMora Sutta for protection against snares, imprisonment and for saetyDhajagga Sutta for protection against fear, trembling and horrorAtanatiya Sutta for protection against evil spirits, and gaining health and HappinessAnguliman Sutta for easy delivery for expectant mothersBojjhana Sutta for protection against and getting free from sickness and diseasePubbanha Sutta for protection against bad omens, etc., and gaining happinessJaya Paritta for happiness, success and protection

*a short version, easy to remember, that should be chanted every day.

One who chants should follow the three following conditions:

1. Learn to chant the Sutta correctly and fully.2. Understand the meaning of the Suttas.3. Chant with the heart filled with goodwill and loving-kindness

People should chant and listen with confidence, respect and attentiveness, so benefit will go to the one who chants and the one who listen as well.

Pronunciation

Pali is the original language of Theravadin Buddhist scriptures, the closest we have to the dialect spoken by the Buddha himself. It has no written script of its own, so every country that has adopted Theravada Buddhism has used its own script to transcribe it.

Vowels

Pali has two sounds of vowels, long--a, e, i, o, u & ay; short- a, i, & u.When chanting Pali, the vowels are pronounced as follws:a as in fathero as in goe as in theyu as in gluei as in machineay as in Aye!

Consonants

Consonants are generally pronounced as they are in english, with a few unexpected twists:c as in ancientp unaspirated, as in spotk unsaspirated, as in skinph as in upholsterykh as in backhandt unaspirated, as in stopm & n as ngth as in Thomasn as in canonv as w

In conclusion we would like to thanks Venerable Gandasaraphivamsa Dhamma cariya Abhivamsa who provided us the text and advice to make this book possible; Ajarn Phanit Jetjiravat who helped in revising and editing; Khun Chittapat Hokusolsindhu and Ajarn Narong Kanprom in helping to get hold of the Thai - English Dhamma text and spending many hours helping to publish.

Chutatip Umavijani & Sarah Sutro

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Last edited by Hanzze on Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Just that! *smile*...We Buddhists must find the courage to leave our temples and enter the temples of human experience, temples that are filled with suffering. If we listen to Buddha, Christ, or Gandhi, we can do nothing else. The refugee camps, the prisons, the ghettos, and the battlefields will become our temples. We have so much work to do. ... Peace is Possible! Step by Step. - Samtach Preah Maha Ghosananda "Step by Step" http://www.ghosananda.org/bio_book.html

BUT! it is important to become a real Buddhist first. Like Punna did: Punna Sutta Nate sante baram sokham _()_

Bhikkhus, if you develop and make much this one thing, it invariably leads to weariness, cessation, appeasement, realization and extinction. What is it? It is recollecting the Enlightened One. If this single thing is recollected and made much, it invariably leads to weariness, cessation, appeasement, realization and extinction.Anguttara-Nikaya: Ekanipata: Ekadhammapali: PañhamavaggaVSMVMMWBBTBHTWTBTMy Page

Last edited by Hanzze on Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Just that! *smile*...We Buddhists must find the courage to leave our temples and enter the temples of human experience, temples that are filled with suffering. If we listen to Buddha, Christ, or Gandhi, we can do nothing else. The refugee camps, the prisons, the ghettos, and the battlefields will become our temples. We have so much work to do. ... Peace is Possible! Step by Step. - Samtach Preah Maha Ghosananda "Step by Step" http://www.ghosananda.org/bio_book.html

BUT! it is important to become a real Buddhist first. Like Punna did: Punna Sutta Nate sante baram sokham _()_

The posting of the Mangala sutta is certainly appropriate and greatly appreciated. It' a hugely important sutta for householders, really lays out our duties and the associated blessings explicitly. It's used as a paritta (?) (protective verse) but it is really suitable as a guide for every aspect of one's life as a lay follower of the Buddha. Thanks for posting it.

(and in passing, Hanzze, thanks for having posted that wonderful Dhamma in Pictures series, I printed out several of them and have posted them here and there in my place....)

Scanning the other topics in this forum; this appears to be the only one that is a part of any complete Theravadan practice.

Hi Jeff

You may wish to review the guidelines for the Classical Theravada sub-forum. The guidelines relate to specific content and the authority of the Classical (Mahavihara) pov within the bounds of the sub-forum.Since the thread has been since moved to the 'wellbeing' sub-forum, its no longer an issue - except as a matter of interest.Secondly, I disagree with the assertion you seem to be making that chanting 'completes' Theravadin practice. While very many Theravadins chant, there are very many who do not.kind regards

Ben

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Although many who practice Theravada do not chant, it is a very integral part of the practice. Without chanting, we would not have the suttas today as they were passed along for several hundred years through this method. More importantly, it is also everything Hanzee has stated in the OP, I applaud him for encouraging those who do not chant as a part of their practice to do so; at least occasionally.

I stand by my assertion that the implication chanting has no relation to Theravada is well out of line, not sure how "classical" is defined at DW. A complete Theravadan practice will include chanting, I agree that few of us have a complete practice.

Bhikkhus, there are five dangers of reciting the Dhamma with a musical intonation. What five?

1. Oneself gets enchanted with one's voice.2. Others get enchanted with one's voice.3. Householders are annoyed, saying, “Just as we sing, these sons of the Sakyan sing”4. For those who pay attention to the intonation the composure of mind is interrupted.5. And later generations copy it.

These, bhikkhus, are the five dangers of reciting the Dhamma with a musical intonation. (A.v.209)

Chanting does not equal reciting. Buddhist chants are intentionally atonal, iirc, which means calling them chants is a bit of a misnomer.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]